AthFest
By: Scott H. Smith AthFest is a local music and art festival that takes place in Athens, Georgia every June, and is run by the non-profit organization, AthFest Inc. The festival and organization were created in 1997. The mission of AthFest is to: “educate and engage people via music and arts, to enhance the success of local musicians and artists, as well as the success of Athens as a community”(http://athfest.com/). This mission continues today in 2011, and is evident by the thriving music and art scene in Athens as well as the large number of attendees and the outstanding music and cultural events occurring during the festival. All of the proceeds collected from AthFest help support and run the local music and art education programs operated by AthFest Inc. Jared Bailey, the founder of AthFest, commented during a recent interview that what is so special about AthFest is that “it connects the community of Athens, Georgia”(Personal Interview). History Jared Bailey and the idea of Athfest: Jared Bailey, the previous co-owner of The 40 Watt Club and owner of Flagpole Magazine, created and championed the idea of AthFest. He believed that the community and local government of Athens did not do enough to support the vibrant musical and artistic culture that was so prevalent and unique to Athens, Georgia. Additionally, in 1989, Jared Bailey attended the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. He realized that if a city like Austin can support its music and arts scene then Athens should be able to as well. Once he returned to Athens he began raising support to host a festival to support local musicians and artists(Personal Interview). The Creation of AthFest: Although inspired by South by Southwest in 1989, the first festival did not take place until July of 1997. It took almost 10 years for Jared Bailey to gain support and get his initial idea off the ground. After returning from South by Southwest, Jared Bailey published the article “Why can’t Athens Support Our Local Music Scene?” in the Flagpole Magazine(Athfest: The First 10 Years). Because of the large amount of public attention and recognition the article recieved it was later republished in Athens Banner-Herald ''and the Athens Observer. ''Jared Bailey’s article and the attention that it received, led to the creation of the Art-As-Industry (AAI) Task Force. This organization would determine whether or not a festival like AthFest could have a positive economic impact on the community. After a year of conducting research, the AAI Task Force was able to prove that a local music festival would have a beneficial impact on the economic condition of the community. Their findings were presented to the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce. Everyone on the board of these organizations believed that a festival like South by Southwest in Athens was a good idea for economic stimulus and also community enrichment, but no proactive steps were taken to make AthFest a reality. It wasn’t until Art Jackson became the director of the Athens Downtown Authority that progressive steps were taken to create AthFest. Jackson understood how beneficial festivals could be and strongly supported the creation of AthFest(Athfest: The First 10 Years). Art Jackson and Dr.Brain Nummer, a member of the Athens Brewing Company (ABC), came together in 1996 hoping to take proactive steps to create a local music festival. Jared Bailey was appointed as head of the group by Art Jackson because of his previous involvement in the community music scene. Once Jared Bailey became the director, the name AthFest was chosen and they decided that the first AthFest would take place on July 18th and 19th. This timeframe gave the organizers 10 weeks to book the bands and venues. The first AthFest was used somewhat as an experiment. It started out in 1997 with 60 bands playing and it took place in July. Today, AthFest is in June and there are over a hundred bands and artists in attendance. When asked whether or not AthFest has stayed true to its mission and whether or not it had followed his initial vision Jared Bailey said that “it hasn’t changed much at all” and it “directly matched” his initial vision (Personal Interview). He went on to explain that AthFest Inc. has not become what South by Southwest is today, a festival solely focused on bringing money in to the community of Austin, Texas. AthFest has had the good fortune to stay true to their mission of promoting local music and art education and supporting the musicians and artists inside the community(Personal Interview). AthFest Economic Impact: Although the main goal of AthFest, and AthFest Inc., is to educate the community on local musicians and artists, business and economic factors greatly affected AthFest’s initial creation. Jared Bailey was inspired when he saw how South by Southwest brought the community together but also realized “how huge of an economic impact South by Southwest had for the Texas capital”(Athfest: The First 10 Years). Bailey believed that a music festival in Athens could have a similar economic impact on the community in Athens, especially if it took place in the summer. Bailey said that, “ AthFest allows for some venues and musicians to financially make it through the summer, while school is not in session- it’s like having a weekend in the summer that is comparable to a Saturday in Athens during the football season”(Personal Interview). AthFest’s ability to attract tourists and locals in the economically slow summer season provides an economic stimulus that is needed to support the venues, musicians and artists in Athens, Georgia. The money that is raised by the festival is used by AthFest Inc. to support their other music and art education programs like AthFest InSchool, AfterSchool, and the Athens Half-Marathon. Inside AthFest KidsFest: Not only does AthFest provide local music and art vendors during the festival but also family friendly and safe activities for children. AthFest Inc. feels called to help support “the success of Athens as a community” and they pursue this by allowing children to actively take part in the festival (http://athfest.com/). At KidsFest children are able to participate in art showcases, open mic events, make homemade instruments, and many other activities. All of these activities and promotions are created to help raise children’s interest and access to music, instruments and art. AthFest hopes to “cultivate a love and knowledge of music” in children in Athens, Georgia so as to continue the legacy that Athens has as a musical and artistic community and culture (http://athfest.com/). Film Festival and Artists Market: Despite the fact the first AthFest in 1997 only showcased local musicians, the festival has evolved and a film festival and artists market has emerged over the years. Every year now AthFest shows independent films with the help of Cine, a local independent movie theatre in Athens, Georgia. The film festival mainly takes place at Cine. This aspect of the festival provides a diversion from the music scene and provides revenue to a local theatre that might now get much business in the summer. The Artists Market at AthFest has become a large feature of the festival. The market showcases local artist’s fine arts and crafts(http://athfest.com/). Art styles range from sculpture to blown glass, painting to local folk art. The artists in the market receive money for their pieces and are automatically entered in the contest for awards. AthFest’s Cultural Impact: Over the last 15 year AthFest has continued to help support the community of Athens, Georgia. Through AthFest Inc.’s mission and Jared Bailey initial vision, AthFest has enriched Athens’ culture. Rather that turning the festival into a fundraising and economic engine like South By Southwest did in Austin, Texas, AthFest Inc. has held true to their initial mission to better the community through the outlets of music and art. Since its creation AthFest has allowed for the members of the Athens community to come together and take part in what has made their home such a distinct and welcoming place to live. This festival brings together all of the demographics in Athens and allows for them to support one another, which benefits their community and culture. Although, it took money and sponsors to create AthFest, the people and the culture it was created around allowed it to become what it is today. AthFest was inspired by how central music and art was to Athens’ community and culture in 1989 and the festival will only help continue its legacy for years to come. Works Cited: Athfest.com.2011. AthFest Inc.. 5 Nov. 2011 < http://athfest.com/ > Bailey, Jared. Personal Interview. 2 Nov. 2011. Bailey, Jared. “AthFest: The First 10 Years” PDF file. “B52s Sign Guitar for AthFest Educates! - Cindy Wilson, Kate Pierson, AthFest Director Jared Bailey, Keith Strickland, Fred Schneider”. Athfest.com. Web. 5 Nov. 2011 “KidsFest”. AthFest.com. Web. 5 Nov. 2011 Stepp, Jordan. “AthFest logo”. 2011. 7 Nov. 2011 Category:Local Music